YWCA of Palestine Easter message

Easter flowers for you from the YWCA of Palestine and all the Palestinian women we know and work with who know how to create life out of chaos.

The women were there from the beginning of His suffering and at the end. They wept and anointed him, stood at the foot of the cross, and later rolled away the stone. They were there through the suffering and the first to announce the good news that He has risen.

In 2014, Israel killed more Palestinians than in any other year since 1967. Women and their families were targeted in the Gaza offensive attacks. In the occupied State of Palestine, they are both targets of violence and the ones who comfort those who have been violated. They have been part of the struggle from the beginning and have rolled away many stones that try to entomb them and those they love.

In the midst of all this death and chaos, women around the world are rising up and speaking out their truth. In October of 2014, the women of Palestine with support of their international sisters and brothers spoke out at the YWCA of Palestine’s International Conference on Women’s Freedom, Peace, and Diginity in Palestine: UN Security Council Resolution 1325 for Accountability. This conference and process contributed positively to the issuance of the National Action Plan for UNSCR 1325. In addition to the good news this March is that the UN Commission on the Status of Women stated in its resolution that “the Israeli Occupation remains the major obstacle for Palestinian women with regard to their advancement, self-reliance and integration in the development of their society.”

Easter reminds us of not only the Way of Suffering but what it means to live resurrected lives. The YWCA of Palestine invites you to join them in not only standing at the foot of the cross, but also to be bearers of the good news of hope and transformation.